“Oh that.” Lily fluttered a hand in the air. “That’s just Dash and Bandit. Don’t mind them.”
Kate couldn’t suppress her laugh. “James said you were a bit … unconventional … but until this moment, I wasn’t entirely sure if he was jesting.”
“I’m afraid he wasn’t,” Lily replied, shaking her head.
Another laugh from Kate. “And here I was worried I wouldn’t be allowed to be a duchess with a pig.”
“Nonsense,” Lily replied with a laugh. “I think a duchess with a pig sounds absolutely divine.”
Lily took her by the arm again and they made their way down the corridor. “In addition to a fox and a raccoon-like dog, we also have a little boy and a variety of other dogs here at Colton House. I’m sure you’ll meet them all before long.”
Kate squeezed her arm and Lily stopped. “Thank you again for your invitation, Lily. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You and Annie are my only friends.” She glanced away.
“A temporary state, I’m sure,” Lily reassured her, with an encouraging smile. “I only hope you enjoy your Christmas with us.”
Kate nodded. “Considering I’ve been convinced this would be my last Christmas and now it’s not, I’m sure to enjoy it immensely,” she replied with a shaky laugh.
Annie came bounding out of the door to their left. “Ah, Justin said you’d come. He was watching from the landing.”
Kate glanced up to see a handsome little boy of no more than five or six with dark curly hair and equally dark watchful eyes looking at her. “Is that Justin? He looks so much like his father.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Lily gestured for the boy to come downstairs. Justin made his way down the steps and bowed an adorable little bow to Kate. Kate’s heart melted. Oh how she wished she had a little boy of her own. The thought hit her out of nowhere, stealing her breath.
“Justin, say ‘Merry Christmas’ to her grace, Duchess Kate,” Lily said.
Kate shook her head frantically. “Oh no, no, no. Not Duchess Kate, just Kate.” She smiled at the boy.
“Well, Kate then,” Lily amended, nodding to Justin to let him know it was all right.
“Merry Christmas, Lady Kate,” Justin said, with another little formal bow.
“A pleasure to meet you, Master Justin,” Kate replied, laughing. She swept a grand curtsy in front of him.
The boy blushed beautifully, before turning to his stepmother. “Lily, may I have a sweet?”
Lily gave him a conspiratorial grin. “It depends. Have you been good?” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down her nose at the boy, but the smile that lurked at the corners of her mouth belied the teasing nature of her remarks.
Justin nodded earnestly. “Quite, quite good.”
This time Lily nodded. “Then yes, you may have a sweet. Tell Cook I said so.”
The boy scampered off and Lily watched him go with a bright, adoring look on her face. “Ah, he’s such a good boy. Such a dear. Far too intelligent for his years though, I’m afraid. Not much gets by him. The tutors tell Devon he’s a genius.”
“Not to mention he’s adorable and extremely well behaved,” Kate said with a smile, a twinge of regret in her heart for the child she would never have.
Lily and Annie each took one of Kate’s arms and led her into the salon on the left. They ushered her in, and Lily gestured to a seat on the sofa. “Tea will be served momentarily.”
She waited for Kate to take a seat on the sofa before she added, “Well, now, I nearly choked on my tart when Lord Medford told us the valet had killed the duke.”
Annie curled up on the opposite side of the sofa and nodded emphatically to Kate. She clutched her chest. “Yes. If a man cannot trust his valet, whom can he trust?”
“I never knew him well,” Kate admitted. “Tucker was always gone with George to London. It’s difficult to believe George intended to let him go. They’d been together for ages. Apparently, they’d had rows before. I’d heard the other servants whispering a time or two about Tucker’s awful temper but I’d never seen it myself.”
Lily shook her head. “Just between us, I was always convinced Lady Bettina did it.”
Annie bit her lip. “I wonder if Lady Bettina suspected the valet.”
“I’ve thought about it all so much, and I’ll never make sense of any of it,” Kate replied. “I’m just glad to be free. Though I still cannot truly believe it. And please don’t think less of me for not wearing mourning clothes. I fear it would be entirely disingenuous of me, and with my reputation already in tatters, I fail to see the point.”
“On the contrary, we don’t think less of you at all,” Lily said, patting her hand.
“Absolutely not,” Annie added. “You’ll just have to put all that behind you now, start a new life.”
Kate shook her head and glanced down at her lap. “I don’t know how. I have nothing. Nothing more than my life. Though, believe me, for that I am immensely thankful.”
“Let us help you, Kate,” Lily said.
Kate glanced up. “No. You’ve both done so much for me already. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you. After Christmas, I’ll find a way.”
“You may stay as long as you like,” Lily said. “I hope you know that. Either here at Colton House or at our town house in London.”
Kate pulled one of the light blue embroidered pillows from the sofa up to her chest. “I couldn’t take such advantage, Lily. I’m ever so thankful for the invitation to spend Christmas here, but after the new year, I think I shall go to the Continent. I’m no longer welcome in London, I realize that.”
Lily squeezed her hand. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you. And there’s no need to make a decision today.”
Kate smiled at that. Letting the pillow drop to her lap, she reached out and squeezed both sisters’ hands simultaneously. “You’re both too good to me.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from spilling from her eyes. Then she gave her head a hard shake. “So, tell me, how is Viscount Medford? I’ve made inquiries but … he hasn’t published the pamphlet yet, has he?”
“No … he hasn’t,” Lily said, just before she and Annie exchanged glances. “But there is something we must tell you.”
Kate’s smile faded. “What? He’s all right, isn’t he?” She pressed her hand to her chest.
“Oh yes, he’s perfectly fine,” Lily hastened to say. “It’s just that … well … Lord Medford will be here for Christmas too.”
Kate’s heart pounded. Her chest felt tight. The room tilted all of a sudden. She shouldn’t be surprised. Of course James was welcome here at his friends’ house. He always would be. She was the interloper. The stranger. “I should have guessed.”
“You don’t mind, do you?” Lily asked quietly. “Please tell me you’re not upset.”
Kate tried to laugh. “What sort of an ingrate would I be if I tried to tell you whom to invite to your own party?” She swallowed. “But I must say, I’m not sure he’ll be pleased to see me. I would hate to ruin his holiday.”
Annie patted Kate’s hand. “No. No. Lord Medford has been worried about the same thing. He thinks you don’t want to see him.”
Kate furrowed her brow. “Why would he think that?”
Annie glanced at her. “Because you left his house and went back to the Tower and … He told us you returned the money he sent you.”
Kate glanced at her hands folded in her lap. “I couldn’t take his money. His town house was destroyed because of me.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll talk. I’m sure you two will sort it out.” Lily clapped her hands. “In the meantime, we can all just enjoy Christmas.”
Kate sighed. “It’s fine, my friends. I shall not ruin your holidays with my histrionics. You’ve invited your friend Lord Medford to share the season with you, and I shall make no trouble for you. I should never have tried to put you in a position where you felt you had to choose.”
Annie and Lily exchanged glances. “Thank you for understanding.”
Kate stood up and hastily smoothed out her skirts. “Would you mind, terribly, if I go lie down for a bit, I’m just exhausted and—”
“Say no more,” Lily said, ringing for a servant. “I’ll have one of the maids show you to your room
